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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26381842">To All of You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFoxWithBlueEyes/pseuds/AFoxWithBlueEyes'>AFoxWithBlueEyes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And about the future of fanfictions starring Woojin, And how reality and fiction are different, Discussing the value of a character, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I believe it is important, Meta, My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined, Please keep the discussion civil, Please read, Who is an asshole - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:41:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26381842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFoxWithBlueEyes/pseuds/AFoxWithBlueEyes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Many things have been happening lately. I just wanted to talk about it.</p>
<p>This work is a reflexion on the character of Woojin in our fanfictions following the edits of many works to cut him out from it, as well as a way to express my thoughts on what has been going on these past few days.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Woojin &amp; Readers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To All of You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hi, everyone</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>First of all, please excuse me for any mistakes. English is not my first language, so there might be some. I took a long time getting this all out of my system, mainly because I believe that what I am about to say will go against what many people have been doing these last two days, and I slightly dread the reactions this post might get. I wanted to be as clear as possible, and the last thing I want would be to offend or hurt someone. I would never forgive myself if I did that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You do not know me, so let me introduce myself: I am a reader. Just a reader, nothing more. I am a reader, and I wanted to talk to all of you as a reader. Nice to meet you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So... Yesterday, as you all know it, Kim Woojin, ex-member of Stray Kids, has been accused of sexual harassment, among other things. Such accusation are not to be taken lightly, and have not been taken lightly by STAYs and Woojin Stans (as you have probably seen on Twitter, or even here on AO3 for that matter). Most people have sided with the victim, and it is something that this fandom should be proud of. Not so many people would choose to believe a potential victim over an Idol they (used to) love, so congratulation, and thank you for being safe people.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for me, I feel kind of numb, kind of out-of-it. Torn. A part of me wanted to believe to this "cuddly Woo-bear" image Kim Woojin had. Another, more bitter, maybe more realistic, has already added him to the list of people we thought were safe but are actually toxic. Quite a long list of people. Quite a long list of disappointments.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I feel numb and sad and defeated, and I believe you feel just like that too. I'm sorry. I wish none of this happened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today, I have seen many Fanfiction writers announce that they were going to delete/edit their works to erase Woojin from it, get them rid of the toxicity they bear (You got it? 'Bear'? Because Woojin's a- I'll shut up now)</p>
<p>It pains me to admit it, but it quite honestly made me sad. It might be the saddest part of this day, surprisingly. To see good fan fictions I have read maybe one or two years ago disappear, or at least a part of them, a part of why I loved them. I know why you are doing this, and I understand. You are hurt and betrayed, and you refuse to promote a predator. It's normal. It must even be the right thing to do.</p>
<p>Still, I am selfish, and it makes me sad. It’s like throwing a book I once loved in a wood fire, and losing something silly but important.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But it is a minor part of my worry on Stray Kids fanfictions. What really pains me is the idea that I might not see the end of works in progress I dearly love. I know many authors have planned to rewrite their (finished or unfinished) fics to exclude Woojin, and I have dedicated a message to them further into this note. But here I am speaking about works that have Woojin as a key character, fanfics like DiamondWings’ <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929033/chapters/39776115"><em>Take Me Home</em></a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/17557706/chapters/41377025"><em>Family of Strays</em></a>, or orangecaramel05’s <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/13565748/chapters/31131900"><em>Straya 801</em></a>, fics I have fallen in love with months ago and die to know the end of. To have them left unfinished would be a painful loss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I hear you, behind your screens (because I have a very good hearing), wondering “well, aren’t you bothered by Woojail’s presence in these works?” And to this I answer: please allow me a paragraph or two to explain my thoughts. It is a complicated idea to explain, but I will try nonetheless. Feel free to debate it, disagree or ask for clarification.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>First of all: do I side with Kim Woojin?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No, I absolutely don’t. Fuck Kim Woojin, may he rot in a pit, never will I ever side with someone toxic. I admit, I wanted to remain neutral when the first few allegations came out, but seeing Woojin slowly sink in his own lies and the ever-flowing revelations about him, his behavior and the reasons why he got kicked out of JYP, it took me less than half a day to side with the victimS.</p>
<p>I despise Kim Woojin as a person, I genuinely do. The thing is: <b>Kim Woojin as a person and Kim Woojin as a character are two vastly different things.</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here we write about a character, about a fiction. About an idea. Fanfictions about existing people are extremely ambiguous, but whatever we might write, it will never, ever be what the reality is. Ships are a stretch of imagination, a fantasy. Alternatives universes are, well… Alternative universes. Characters are an invention.</p>
<p>As I read Woojin, I read about the idea of Woojin. What we wish Woojin were. “Our” Woojin that we share together in a collective psyche. I never read about the real Woojin, because I already know that the real Woojin is not like that, that he is not a kind soul (that we learned it the hard way) living a blissful life with his group members, or a struggling barista or florist in the center of Seoul, or a spaceship captain, or an Alien on an unknown planet. None of the people we write about are. None of them are who we picture them in our fanfictions (in fact, many of them could be shittier than Woojin, for all we know. I personally have long since been disillusioned with… men in general now that I think about it… and these scandals disappoint me without really coming as a surprise)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And thus, it does not bother me to read about Woojin, because I am not reading about Woojin the person. I am reading about Woojin the idea, our Woojin as we made him and that belong to us and only us. Or maybe rather, the Woojin we HAD, and that belonged to us.</p>
<p>If I believe that, from now and for a multiple of reasons, using Woojin in fanfictions would be downright disrespectful in the light of what we now know about him, I consider that the fanfictions which had him as a character before yesterday are fine, for they are but witnesses of another time (a better one, for sure) (and this statement also include works that have been started before 09/08/2020 and may or may not be finished in the future: witnesses of another time that deserve to be finished before everyone can move on). The Woojin of these fics is the Woojin we used to have. The Woojin of fics that would come out today is tainted by what Woojin as a person did. It might be a complicated concept to grasp and accept, for the relationship between the fictional character and the real one is, I think, extremely complex and would take hours do dissect, but it is what I believe, or rather how I feel about it. And I think it might be doable to write Woojin “like before” in new fanfics, but eh, good luck with that mate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I said, it’s an idea that would take hours to unfold properly, so I hope my explanation has been concise and understandable. English very hardeu.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>To all the fanfic writers who did not edit their work:</b>
</p>
<p>A selfish part of me wants you not to do it. I cannot force you, and I don’t want to force you. I just wanted to say that I believe it is OK to keep Woojin in your stories, for the reasons I explained right above. In the end, do what you feel comfortable with doing.</p>
<p>I cross my fingers in hopes of seeing the works in progress I have been reading for months find a good ending and reach their right conclusion. It would be a heartache to see them being abandoned and never know what was meant to happen next.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>To all the fanfic writers who did edit their work, or plan to do so in the following days / weeks / months:</b>
</p>
<p>I absolutely support your decision. It is your choice to do so, it is what you believe is right, it is what you are comfortable with, and I totally, <em>totally</em> understand that. And really, props to you for your work and dedication. It takes some determination to rewrite a whole 50k words fic, and I genuinely admire you for it.</p>
<p>For the works where Woojin is a secondary character, I understand your will to create a safe space for the victims of sexual assault, and I am a hundred percent behind it. As much as it makes my heart ache for the good memories I had of fics with Woojin, witnesses to happier and more blissful times that it pains me to accept are over, I cannot and will not object to your decision.</p>
<p>As for your deleted works, or works in progress that will never know an end, I am not going to lie, it pains me, and I will regret these. It even quite pisses me off to know that Woojin took from us the possibility of seeing works we have loved for so long come to a satisfying and fulfilling end. But alas, so be it. Who am I to force you to keep writing something you are not comfortable with anymore?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>To anyone who disagrees with my vision of characters and how they are different from who the person really is:</b>
</p>
<p>I can understand why. There are many reasons to disagree with how I perceive fanworks and how one should perceive them, and you are entitled to your own opinion. I just wanted you to know that I never wanted to offend or hurt anyone, neither the victims of any kind of sexual assault (who have my unconditional support) nor the fanfic writers who have edited or plan to edit their work (who I understand, as much as their decision saddens me)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>To all of you:</b>
</p>
<p>The disappointment is huge. It will take some time to get over it. I guess you all are hurt and feel betrayed. I feel that way too. It always sucks to learn that someone you admired, liked, even shed a tear for, is a human trashcan. And the worst part is that you never get used to it. The K-Pop industry is quite dark when you scratch the glittery coat of paint. That’s why I believe we need to hold on our idea of a character, to the idea of them we share together in our common imagery, instead of relying on the existing people themselves. Only one of the two can be a disappointment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>To Kim Woojin:</b>
</p>
<p>For a time I wanted to believe in your innocence, in the “Woo-bear” fond memories I had of you and of your time with Stray Kids. But now, fuck you. Just, fuck you. I won’t develop much more than that, people have already said a lot of things, so just know that I agree with most of it. Writing about you is not supporting you. We do not support you as an artist anymore. We do not support you as a person anymore.</p>
<p>Stays believe in Stray Kids 8.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, here comes the end of my long, long rant. I hope the months to come will allow me to see the ends of those works in progress I have been dying to read until their last chapter. I hope everything will come into place. I hope everyone will figure out what to do next, because I believe we’re all lost together right now. I even dare hope that Woojin will face consequences for his actions (tho I don’t really believe such things will happen, for if men are trash, the judicial system which enable them to be human scumbags and walk free is trashier). But most of all, I hope you’re all gonna be okay. I hope you, person who is reading this, are okay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Goodbye, everyone</p>
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